KATHMANDU, Oct 20: In the 11th World Conference of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), Dr. Badri KC emerged as the winner, securing 1,378 votes. Mahesh Shrestha, a contender for the presidential position, garnered 1,225 votes, while RK Sharma received 1,281 votes.
The election saw a dual-mode voting system, enabling both online and in-person voting in Kathmandu for overseas Nepali nationals. Approximately 800 people cast their votes in Kathmandu. However, controversy ensued when Dr. Keshab Paudel, a vice president candidate from the leading panel, saw his vote count register at zero. Allegations surfaced that the competition had tampered with the system, leading to results favoring Dr. KC.
Shrestha and Sharma, who were competing for the presidency, have openly rejected the results, asserting that the election was marred by irregularities. The Soaltee Hotel, the venue for the convention, echoed with slogans of protest after Paudel's votes were invalidated. The competitors argued that issues in the voting process became apparent when Paudel, himself a vice president candidate, experienced a similar zero-vote outcome.
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The election also determined the six vice-presidents. Hem Raj Sharma secured 2,265 votes, Robin Sherchan received 2,180, Ramsharan Simkhada garnered 1,552, Khagendra Neupane acquired 1,357, Raj Regmi collected 1,900, and Dr. Binod Shrestha secured 1,560 votes. Rojina Pradhan won the female vice president position with 1,947 votes, while Yasmin Begum Syed secured 1,914 votes for the same role.
In the category of youth vice-president, Roshan Thapa emerged victorious with 2,468 votes, whereas Abdul Basid received 1,322 votes. Gauriraj Joshi clinched the position of general secretary of the association with 2,037 votes, defeating Buddhi Subedi, who garnered 1,818 votes.
For the deputy general secretary roles, Som Sapkota received 1,790 votes, and Prabin Gurung secured 2,150 votes. In the post of secretary, Bhim KC Kamal obtained 1,673 votes, Dr. Gyanendra Regmi received 1,782, Manoj Kumar Shrestha secured 2,024, Dr. Navraj Rosyara collected 1,853, Paramani Pokharel garnered 1,651, and independent candidate Pratap Shah received 1,666 votes.
Tika Gurung and Radhika emerged victorious in the Women's Secretary position with 2,320 votes, while Bimala Sapkota received 1,539 votes for the same post. Sudan Thapa secured the treasurer position with 1,917 votes, narrowly surpassing Thakur Prasad Dhungana, who received 1,912 votes. For the co-treasurer positions, Krishna Prasad Timalsina secured 2,015 votes, Abhimanyu Basnet received 2,081, and Tilak Prasad Gaye collected 2,232 votes.
In the post of female co-treasurer, Amrita Thapa triumphed with 2,287 votes, while her competitor, Trishna Sharma, received 1,522 votes. Anuja Pradhan won the International Women's Coordinator position with 2,336 votes, while Devika Khatri Gurung received 1,524 votes for the same role. Supendra Ghising emerged as the youth coordinator of the association with 2,036 votes, while Rabin Adhikari secured 1,765 votes for the same position.
